The winner for our essay contest: “How will your education benefit the District of Kau?”

Gregory K. Javar Jr.

Local Lands in Local Hands

“Aole TMT! Aole TMT!” These are the chants of Native Hawaiians speaking from their hearts to stop production on our sacred Mauna Kea. The preservation of our Hawaiian lands plays such an important role in the Hawaiian culture, while advancing technology plays an important role in the science world. There seems to be no peaceful solution to these rising conflicts. Why can’t the native people and the scientists find peace? Different mindsets. In the Hawaiian culture, the people know the significance in the Mauna and see it as a sacred and holy place. While on the scientific end the Mauna is just as equally significant, only for a different reason, scientific discovery. The mountain reveals that there are two different sides, the cultural and the scientific. Although there are many scientists who try to preserve the Hawaiian culture, I believe there is not enough. This is part of the reason why I am pursuing my goal in becoming a civil engineer.

Pursuing my engineering career would not only benefit the technological world, it would also benefit my Hawaiian culture. My future plan is to move back to Ka’u and work as an engineer on the Big Island. If I am back on the big island I’d be able to be a bridge or a mediator between conflicting sides. I would be able to tailor the projects so that they would be advanced in a modern way without interfering with Hawaiian culture. I feel like that is very important in this day and age because of the rapid growth of industry and modernization. With the current issue of Mauna Kea going on, I feel like Hawaiian engineers should work on ways to prevent future conflicts. As a native of Ka’u I feel like it is my Kuleana to “keep country, country” and at the same time keep us intact with the modern world.

Growing up in Ka’u, kids learn many values that many other kids do not have the privilege to learn. I’ve been to a lot of places and have seen the lifestyle and can honestly say that Ka’u is one of a kind. Our keiki learn respect, values, and learn that if you take care of the land, the land will take care of you. That’s what’s special about our district, we all are one with our land, and as locals we do what we can to protect it. As a future engineer, I see this as a great opportunity to make a long lasting impression. For our people, for Ka’u.